North America and Middle East Lentil Market Size & Share Analysis - Growth Trends and Forecast (2026 - 2031)

Market Trends and Insights

Rising Demand for Plant-Based Proteins

Lentils are gaining relevance as a plant-based protein ingredient because they can be incorporated directly into a broad range of food formulations rather than being limited to protein-isolate applications. A 2024 review in Advances in Colloid and Interface Science identified lentil proteins as an affordable, protein-rich, nutritious, and functional alternative to animal-derived proteins, with potential applications across foods and beverages, including meat analogs and other value-added products. The versatility of lentils also supports applications in bakery products, pasta, extruded snacks, protein drinks, and plant-based meat alternatives, creating additional demand for both whole lentils and processed forms such as lentil flour and protein concentrates. In the United States, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) MyPlate framework includes beans, peas, and lentils within the Protein Foods Group and identifies them as vegetarian and vegan protein options, supporting their established role as plant-based protein foods. The expansion of these applications creates value-added demand for lentils in the North America and Middle East lentil market, while encouraging processors to develop capabilities in splitting, milling, flour production, and other ingredient-processing activities. This broadens the demand base beyond traditional whole-lentil consumption and supports greater use of lentils as an ingredient in mainstream food manufacturing

Government Nutrition and Food Security Programs

Government food-security and nutrition programs can support lentil demand by reducing financing and affordability constraints around staple-food procurement. In March 2026, Egypt extended the exemption of lentils, rice, and beans from the 100% cash-cover requirement for imports through March 15, 2027, helping reduce the upfront financing burden for importers and supporting the continuity of staple-food supply^[1]. In addition, Egypt's FY2026/27 budget allocated EGP 175.3 billion (USD 3.4 billion) to food subsidies, a 10% increase from the previous year, benefiting more than 60 million citizens, according to Egypt's Ministry of Finance^[2]. These measures support lentil demand by improving the ability of importers to maintain supplies and helping consumers access subsidized staple foods despite price and financing pressures. For the North America and Middle East lentil market, such government interventions are particularly relevant because Middle Eastern markets rely on imported pulses to supplement domestic supply, making import financing conditions and food-subsidy programs important demand-support mechanisms.

Expansion of Climate-Smart Crop-Rotation Incentives   

Government support for climate-smart agriculture is increasing the economic value of lentils within crop-rotation systems, particularly in Canada. In February 2025, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada announced CAD 35.3 million (USD 25.4 million) in funding to support farmers adopting practices that improve environmental sustainability, including crop diversification and nutrient management^[3]. Crop rotation is particularly relevant to lentils because pulse crops fix atmospheric nitrogen, potentially reducing fertilizer requirements and associated emissions in subsequent crops. Genome Canada's ACTIVATing project further estimates that improved lentil-wheat rotation systems could generate more than USD 1.2 billion in fertilizer-cost savings and reduce 3 million metric tons of fertilizer-related greenhouse gas emissions over 20 years. These incentives and research initiatives strengthen the role of lentils beyond their direct crop value, supporting producer adoption and increasing the potential demand for traceable, lower-emission lentil supply in the North America and Middle East lentil market.

Lentil Flour and Protein Reformulation in North America   

North American food manufacturers are increasingly incorporating lentil flour and other pulse ingredients into pasta, bakery products, snacks, cereals, and other packaged foods, supported by consumer preference for plant-based and vegan food options in developed food markets. Lentil ingredients allow manufacturers to improve the nutritional profile of familiar food formats while meeting demand for convenient, protein-rich products. Pulse Canada notes that wheat pasta containing 25% lentil flour can qualify for a “Good Source of Protein” claim in the United States under Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requirements, providing a defined formulation opportunity for lentil flour in conventional packaged foods. This supports the use of lentils beyond traditional whole-pulse consumption and creates additional demand from food manufacturers seeking plant-based protein and fiber ingredients. The trend also increases the importance of consistent flour quality, functional performance, and reliable supply, supporting value-added processing and providing Canadian and the United States lentil suppliers with additional routes to market.

Intensifying Pest and Disease Outbreaks

Disease pressure can reduce yields and increase crop-protection costs for lentil growers. The 2025 Saskatchewan Pulse Growers survey report identified root-rot complex symptoms in 84% of the 61 lentil crops surveyed, while the report's field-level prevalence measure indicated 86% overall occurrence across the surveyed fields. Anthracnose was also detected in 69% of the surveyed crops. These findings highlight the production risks faced by Canadian lentil-growing regions, which can constrain marketable output for the North American and Middle Eastern lentil markets. Ascochyta blight further requires integrated management through crop rotation, seed treatment, and foliar fungicide applications. Persistent disease pressure can increase production costs, reduce crop quality, and affect growers' returns, potentially influencing future acreage decisions and the availability of lentils for export markets.

Limited Commercialization of Heat-Tolerant Varieties

Heat stress remains a production constraint in warmer lentil-growing regions, where high temperatures can reduce crop performance and limit production stability. A 2025 study published in Scientific Reports evaluated lentil genotypes for heat tolerance using stress-tolerance indices, highlighting the continued need to identify and develop varieties capable of maintaining performance under elevated temperatures. The findings indicate that heat tolerance remains an active breeding priority rather than a fully resolved commercial solution. Production areas in Turkey, Egypt, and the southern United States are particularly exposed to higher-temperature conditions, while limited availability of improved heat-tolerant varieties can restrict local production options and increase reliance on imports from cooler growing regions. Research organizations such as International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) continue to develop climate-smart lentil varieties to improve resilience to heat and other environmental stresses. Wider commercialization will depend on seed multiplication, grower adoption, and validation under local production conditions. Until these varieties become more widely available, heat stress and associated production variability are likely to remain constraints for the North America and Middle East lentil market.

*Our forecasts treat driver/restraint impacts as directional, not additive. The impact forecasts reflect baseline growth, mix effects, and variable interactions.

Geography Analysis

Middle East

The Middle East accounted for 83.3% of the North America and Middle East lentil market share in 2025, driven by high regional consumption and reliance on imports. Turkey is the region’s largest consumer and has become more dependent on imports after domestic production declined to 260,000 metric tons in 2025 from 476,000 metric tons in 2024. Egypt supports lentil imports through its food-subsidy system and the March 2026 Central Bank of Egypt (CBE) cash-cover exemption, while the United Arab Emirates supports food redistribution through Jebel Ali Port and its broader logistics network. These countries combine domestic demand, processing, and trade functions, reinforcing the Middle East’s dominant position in the North America and Middle East lentil market.

North America

North America is the fastest-growing geographic region, forecast to expand at a CAGR of 7.4% from 2026 to 2031. According to the Canada Grain Commission, Canada produced a record 3.4 million metric tons of lentils in 2025, 38.2% above 2024 output and 40.6% above the 10-year average, with Saskatchewan accounting for 86.2% of western Canadian output. According to the United States Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service (USDA ERS), the United States increased lentil acreage by 8% in 2025. North America’s growth is supported by its large production base and expanding use of lentils in value-added applications, including flour, protein ingredients, and other food inputs.

North America’s role in the market is strengthened by its position as both a major production base and a source of processed lentil ingredients. Canada’s large-scale production provides substantial exportable supply, while the United States contributes to domestic processing and food-ingredient demand. The combination of agricultural output and value-added processing creates additional demand beyond whole-lentil consumption and supports the region’s faster growth through 2031.